Cyber pal dupes man of 1.5 lakh

A woman claiming to be a UK native duped a Gomtinagar resident of Rs 1.5 lakh on the pretext of loan for custom clearance.The victim lodged a case in this connection with the Cyber Cell of Lucknow police.TNN | Updated: January 10, 2017, 12:31 IST

Pushpendra Pratap Singh said he got a friend request on his social media account from Mercy Venz some time back. After he confirmed the request, she asked for his WhatsApp number and told him she was a native of UK. During chat sessions the woman befriended Singh and mentioned the beautiful places in India she wished to visit if he could help her. Singh said he agreed to guide her around in India.

"I got a call from her around 10am on Monday and she told me she had arrived at the airport in New Delhi. A little later she called me again and said she was in problem as custom department was demanding charges for carrying extra goods," he told the police. He deposited Rs 1.5 lakh into an account she gave him. Later when he called on her number, the phone remained switched off.